Tuesday 29th July

Tuesday, 29 July 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Parents in Somerset are being advised not to leave their children unsupervised with pets. Somerset Council says it's dealing with a backlog of sixteen hundred planning applications. Ninety thousand pounds has been raised so far for Somerset Community Foundation’s appeal supporting people affected by last week’s coach crash in West Somerset...and more

Parents in Somerset are being advised not to leave their children unsupervised with pets. The warning from the Pet Education Partnership follows new research showing that one in five children in the South West have been bitten by an animal, with four out of ten incidents requiring medical attention.

Somerset Council says it's taking "critical action" to reduce a backlog of sixteen hundred planning applications, partly caused by problems in recruiting and retaining staff. The measures, which include instructing customers not to contact the planning department for updates, are aimed at freeing up officers' time so that they can focus on processing applications.

£90,000 has been raised so far for Somerset Community Foundation’s appeal supporting people affected by last week’s coach crash in West Somerset. Oliver Price, aged 10, was killed and 22 passengers were injured when the vehicle overturned as it returned to Minehead Middle School from a school trip on 17th July.

A Wincanton man has appeared in court charged with assault. Elliott Houghton, aged 25, of Saunters Close, was accused of punching two other men in a fight in January earlier this year. Appearing in court in Yeovil, Houghton was given a 12-month community order with 120 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £200 compensation to both complainants.

An event celebrating culture in Chard starts today. The Chard Heritage, Arts, and Music Festival offers a range of events and activities for families at various venues across the town, running for five days. Tonight’s offering is a talk by David Knapman on the subject of brush making. Events are being held every day up to Sunday, when the festival will end with an exploration of the Lace Riots in Chard.

More from News

Friday 22nd August

Six hundred parking spaces could be lost in Yeovil town centre if plans to build new homes on public car parks go ahead. The Environment Agency is to stop maintaining some rivers and streams in Somerset to save money. People in Somerset are being warned about a scam involving fake communications from the tax authorities...and more
Thursday 21st August

Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, says families and hospital staff should be given more information about re-opening maternity services at Yeovil Hospital. Yeovil’s renal unit on the Lynx West Trading Estate has been told it must improve on safety. Organisers of a Live Aid concert held in Yeovil 40 years ago are trying to contact the bands that played at the event for a reunion...and more.
Wednesday 20th August

The NHS says twenty-six thousand people in the South West signed up to stop smoking in the past twelve months. A teenager from Yeovil has raised more than four thousand pounds for a new dialysis machine at Bristol Children's Hospital. Yeovil Town take on Brackley Town in a National League fixture this evening, kick off at Huish Park is 7.45...and more
Tuesday 19th August

Families struggling to pay for their children to have breakfast over the summer holidays are being offered free breakfast bags at a church in Chard. Police are appealing for information after a sentimental gold pocket watch was stolen in North Petherton. A Bridgwater man sets off today on a 200-mile cycle ride to Barnstaple and Exeter, raising money for Kidney Research UK...and more.
Monday 18th August

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack in Yeovil. Women in Street and Glastonbury are being encouraged to take part in a scheme to highlight unsafe areas to walk alone. A Nottinghamshire man, on a pub-crawl around Britain to help boost the pub trade, is currently visiting pubs in Somerset...and more.
Friday 15th August

Services and acts of remembrance are taking place across Yeovil & South Somerset for VJ Day. An Ilminster café has unveiled a new defibrillator in the town. A room, named in honour of a member of Somerset Council’s Public Health team, has been opened at Yeovil Library...and more.
Thursday 14th August

Yeovil residents are being asked whether they would pay for part of the Octagon Theatre refurbishment. Spending on buses in Somerset is the lowest per head in the region, according to the county's bus partnership. A Yeovil fraudster has been jailed for almost three years...and more.
Wednesday 13th August

A coroner has raised concerns after the death of a newborn baby at Yeovil District Hospital. Revised plans for the construction of up to 360 homes in Ilminster will be put forward in the autumn. Somerset’s Local Community Networks are marking the start of their third year in the county...and more.